CIOR/CIOMR Summer Congress 2018

CIOR & CIOMR Summer Congress 2018

The Quebec City Summer Congress registration website can be found here.

We wish to welcome you and all CIOR and CIOMR members to Quebec City for what promises to be an unforgettable experience in a beautiful environment.

At this point we urge everyone who plans on attending to book their hotels as soon as possible as the closing date for the preferred rate and guarantee of room availability is 15 May. The congress and hotel bookings are being managed in keeping with Canadian Financial Administration Act guidelines.

Under the “accommodations” tab, you will find the various hotel options. The Delta Marriott is the central hotel where all activities EXCEPT YROW/ CIMEX/ MILCOMP are scheduled, the links connects you directly to the booking site with the CIOR preferred rate.

The Concorde Hotel is the site for YROW. The link will take you to the Concorde’s website for information purposes however you need to call them at 1.800.463.5256 or email them at info@hotelleconcorde.com and quote Promotion Code 605456 to get the CIOR rate..

Only CIMEX will be staying in military accommodations at Pointe-a-Carcy, and this is only for the duration of the CIMEX. Clicking on that link will download a document that describes the different types of room and their prices. Reservations can be made by calling 1.418.694.5560 ext 5447 or via email to Katherine.gadbois@forces.gc.ca

CIMIC Committee members staying on for the Congress must also register for the Summer Congress and change hotel on Sunday the 5th. The challenge of gaining access to the world class training facilities at Canadian Forces Base Valcartier, Canadian Forces Fleet School Quebec, and the surrounding establishments is the delicate balance of ensuring that the requisite support to the congress and competitions is provided without disturbing the access to facilities for the resident brigade which is in the high readiness window. The effect of this is a prioritization of access to military quarters for Canadian Forces personnel supporting the congress and competition. The limited space available using military facilities has been prioritized for the CIOR competition members as well as those participating in the CIMEX.

Lastly, MILCOMP do not need to book accommodations for staff and competitors as they will be lodged on the base at Valcartier. However, any MILCOMP family members have to stay off base. If this is necessary, there are several good hotels available nearby in the suburb of Ste-Foy which is strategically located between the base and the old city, and the rates are reasonable.

Reading the “joining instructions” available on the website prior to making any bookings is highly recommended. They contain information which will be useful to you and will alleviate many of your questions and concerns.

IBM 4 2018

Please accept our CIOR/CIOMR/UKRFA joint invitation to the IMB4 which will take place at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, United Kingdom.

As you can see we have decided to divert from the usual rhythm of hosting the IBM at the presidency country. This opportunity with UKRFA has the potential to greatly boost the CIOR/CIOMR message across not only UK but the Alliance in general. We are thankful for our UKRFA hosts to assist in such venue. We will be guests at one of the most prestigious Military installation in the world.

The IBM will include joint sessions, visits from UK Military Leaders and dignitaries as well as plentiful time for our respective working sessions.

The sessions as usual will include both face to face sessions and technology permitting also virtual sessions for the delegations that cannot participate in the full event.

· The virtual session will always be during the afternoon to accommodate for time zone differences.

· We will summarize the discussion for you and will ask your input to the respective topic.

· We expect the virtual sessions to last approximately 60-90 minutes.

· To attend please register by sending an email to UKRFA Admin Manager.

CIOR Winter Meeting 2018

CIOR Winter Meeting 2018

Start: 2018-02-08 | End: 2018-02-10
Location: NATO HQ, Brussels

Dear fellow officers,

It is our pleasure to invite you to the 2018 CIOR/CIOMR Mid Winter Meeting at NATO HQ in Brussels.

The 2018 CIOR & CIOMR Winter Meeting will be held at NATO HQ in Brussels from Thursday 08 February to Saturday 10 February 2018. We invited the Honorable Rose E.GOTTEMOELLER, Deputy Secretary General of NATO as guest speaker (TBC) to the opening session followed by “ The National Tables Lunch “ in the Salons des Ambassadeurs.

A 70th Anniversary reception of our organizations will be held on Thursday, 08 February 2018 at 06.00 p.m. in the War Museum, Cinquantenaire in Brussels.

The Closing Dinner will be held at NATO HQ on Friday, 09 February 2018 to which spouses and other guests are welcome.

CIOMR organize a MEDICAL WORKSHOP on the 7th Feb in the Military Hospital HMRA in Neder-over-Heembeek (detail in separate flyer)

Address: Boulevard Léopold III, 1110 Brussels, Belgium
Registration
The registration has two distinct elements, each of which can be done
independently.

Online Meeting Registration Form:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Bk1x6CLu81nevKrSf-tlmeO2_h3zkc9e-dO3mAdk9pU/edit?usp=sharing
In the above link, you will find an excel sheet, with is to be filled in for the complete delegation by the one contact person of a country.

The MWM Registration Forms (includes the security Pass Registration) must be filled in exclusively using this link.

For assistance contact CIOR Secretary General 1Lt Jaroslav HAJECEK
(POC see item # 21) by e-mail: secgen@cior.net or at hajecekj@volny.cz

HOTEL :
To limit the hours of transport from the hotel to NATO HQ and back, we conclude a negotiated bulk reservation agreement- on the same prices as in the past years in Brussels and Gent but nearer to the meeting location – with HOLIDAY INN HOTEL BRUSSELS AIRPORT situated on approximately 10 min walking distance to NATO HQ.
A collective bus transport will also be provided. See transport shuttle information on transport desk in the hotel.

Hotel Registration :
There are rooms block booked Until the 10th January 2018 at the Holiday Inn Brussels Airport.

It is important that ASGs or their appointed delegates provide the above information as early as possible to ensure that we can effectively plan for the meeting. All registration information and payments must be submitted in accordance with the deadline detailed on the forms. All forms must be fully completed with accurate information (date of birth is very important) before the 25th of December 2017

Payment
The registration fee is € 225 per registrant for a full registration.
This amount includes: the reception, lunches on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the closing dinner, administration items and transportation costs. We strongly encourage delegations to pay in bulk, rather than by individual payment; this will save a significant amount of administration for our staff. All payment must be made in advance, and not later than 20 January 2018. Please send a detailed list with the names of the participants to POC in case of payment in bulk.

All payments that are made must be free of bank charges. Cheques or post-assignation will not be accepted.

Registration will only be confirmed by payment.
All payments later than 20 January 2018 will automatically increased with
50% surcharge.

Participation of Guests
Guests are welcome to participate at both the Thursday reception in the War Museum and the Closing Dinner. Fees for the reception is € 25.00 and for the closing dinner is € 75.00. Please put the guests in the registration form.

Transportation
The participants are required to make their own travel arrangements to and from Brussels.
The participants are required to make their own transportation to and from the Brussels airport and the hotels.
During the meeting a shuttle bus service to NATO HQ will be provided from the hotel. An information desk in the hotel will clarify the time shuttle details.

Working Agenda
The draft agenda will be distributed prior to the 15th of January 2018
All questions should be addressed to the Czech POC

Language
Translations to English and French will be provided as usual.

Non-smoking policy
The conference area is a non-smoking area.

Security restrictions for the NATO HQ
Your individual security access badge will be available in your hotel in case of registration on time. Late arrivals are welcome at the registration desk outside the NATO HQ in the visitors desk in front of the main entrance of the NATO HQ.

Photo cameras (even in your mobile phone) are not allowed in the NATO HQ. You have to leave your camera and mobile phone at the security gate.

CIOR WINTER MEETING 2018 Point of Contact (POC)

For confirmation or any administrative questions regarding Council and committees issues please contact the Czech POC :

CIOR Seminar 2018

CIOR Seminar 2018

Within the safety, security and military environment, cyber is on everyone’s desk these days. However: Do we fully understand what impact cyber-attacks can bring or do to our societies?

In the upcoming seminar, held February 5-7, 2018 in Bonn, Germany, we will approach the topic from three different perspectives: military, civilian authorities and private enterprises. We believe these entities are closely linked when it comes to cyber – and they can hopefully learn from each other. We have been able to gather distinguished speakers from all three domains, who are willing to help us getting a better understanding of it. As you possibly know from previous seminars, it is not only about “consuming” information. We have therefore scheduled multiple workshops, including practical examples of cyber-attacks and a table top exercise.

CIOR CIMEX 2017 – Forging greater CIMIC Resilience in Prague

CIOR CIMEX 2017

Forging greater CIMIC Resilience in Prague

The international Confédération Interalliée des Officiers de Réserve (CIOR), of which South Africa is a part, includes a Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) Committee. This committee successfully executed its seventh annual CIMEX (CIMIC Exercise) as a preamble to its committee work during the 2017 Summer Congress held in the Czech Republic. The CIMEX was held at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague over the weekend of July 27th to 30th, 2017, with the theme “The Migrant Crisis and the Changing Role of CIMIC Resilience and Internal Defence” CIMEX is guided by key overriding objectives: “to encourage liaison, networking and information sharing, and promote best practice within the international CIOR CIMIC community . . . in order to better understand our international partners, and work more effectively together.”

CIMEX 2017 built upon the foundation laid in its 2016 iteration held in Madrid, Spain, expanding on the ‘Refugee Crisis’ topic. It saw some 27 attendees as well as presenters and observers drawn from Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US).
Lectures during CIMEX came in many forms, namely on ‘Mass Migration – What it is & Challenges’ by US Colonel Mona Jibril; ‘The World Today’, ‘What is CIMIC – A Dialogue’ and ‘The Military and Resilience’, by UK Lieutenant Colonel Graeme Olley; ‘Internal Defence and Challenges in Countering Violent Extremism’ by Dr Marlen de la Chaux from Germany; ‘Migration Crisis – Legal Implications for the Military’ by Captain Dr Gergely Toth from Hungary; ‘Building a Refugee Reception Center – A German Perspective’ by Lt Col Dr Ralf Scheffel from Germany, and ‘Maritime Migration: Coast Guard Operations & The European Crisis’ by US Coast Guard Commander Eric Driggs.

The practical desktop-based exercise component of CIMEX grouped participants into multi-national teams with two hours at hand to tackle a fictional refugee crisis scenario in a similar fashion to that experienced in CIMEX 2016. This gave participants the opportunity to put their varied CIMIC expertise to use in response to the complex conflict situations which triggered the scenario’s socio-political crisis.

The ‘Exercise Sea Crossing’ scenario involved a large stream of displaced persons moving from one large landmass to another over the ocean. This required syndicates to produce a CIMIC assessment presentation with recommended course of action to be followed. The dynamic nature of the scenario shaped subsequent CIMIC decision making processes by groups. They had to endeavour to promote the safety and security of civilian entities, and yet to support the overall mission commander’s mission and intent. These courses of action were presented by the three groups to the scenario contingent commander.

International Security and Defence Consultant, Lieutenant Colonel Graeme Olley, British Army (Rtd), was on hand to facilitate the CIMEX scenario, devised in concert with CIOR CIMIC Committee members.
In the post-CIMEX 17 feedback committee session, the committee acknowledged an overwhelmingly positive response from the participants. Every category was rated higher than previous responses recorded in 2016. Participants acknowledged a well-chosen theme and excellent lectures, while information added by fellow attendees had allowed them to further develop their own CIMIC capabilities.

During the course of CIMEX 2017, CIOR Council members also attended CIMEX briefings and presentations. Following his attendance, the President of the CIOR, Czech Colonel Arnost Libezny, commented: “While the speakers all presented salient insights to the migration crisis in Europe, the meat of what CIMEX provides comes in the form of the exercise scenario itself.” He added that, “This year’s ‘Exercise Sea Crossing’ scenario that Vanessa and her committee developed allowed the CIMEX participants to really apply the concepts introduced and propose innovative strategies for their nations, both from their combined civilian and military perspectives.”

The CIOR Summer Congress 2017 proved to facilitate a highly productive environment for the development and eventual unanimous acceptance of CIMEX 2018’s theme at CIOR Council level. This will be “The Intersection of CIMIC & Technology: Exploring Information Challenges in Complex Emergencies”. CIMIC Committee members will reconvene in February 2018 at the CIOR’s Winter Meeting at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium to provide content structure for the next CIMEX to be held as part of the 2018 CIOR Summer Congress in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.

The CIMIC Committee continues to grow from strength to strength as it strives to fulfil its CIOR constitutional mandate of organising CIMIC symposia and exercises, fostering effective CIMIC in humanitarian aid missions that facilitates aid to civil authorities and communities. The reservist CIMIC practitioner continues to be the epitome of Churchill’s conceptualisation of a reservist as ‘twice the citizen.’

To get the full story and pictures, please have a look at the PDF attached below.

MILCOMP 2017 was a success

MILCOMP 2017

Many challenges awaited this year’s competitors in Prague, but have been mastered very successfully

CIOR Military Competition
Concurrent with the CIOR Summer Congress 2017 in Prague, more than 200 athletes were scheduled to participate in CIOR’s military competition – MILCOMP. Established in 1957, MILCOMP is considered one of the most important military sport challenges worldwide. Each year, reservists from NATO countries and associated countries such as Switzerland and South Africa come together to compete in a highly specialized military pentathlon and to identify the world’s fittest reservists. The competition focusses on military skills that truly challenge the leadership and physical robustness of its participants. The disciplines are shooting with rifle and pistol (precision and rapid fire), a 500m long obstacle course, a 50m long water obstacle competition to be mastered in uniform, a military orienteering march event with map reading and range estimation as well as grenade throwing. In addition to the physical challenges, all competitors compete intellectually in tactical first aid and Law of Armed Conflicts (LOAC) competitions. A comprehensive test of physical and mental readiness!

Thus, if you are successful in the CIOR competitions, you can be sure to be one of the world’s fittest reservists in every respect.

Training for the Unpredictable
Teams participating in MILCOMP follow an intense training schedule during the months leading to the CIOR Summer Congress. They prepare the different disciplines with great attention to detail in order to master them for the competition. However, this year’s MILCOMP started with a surprise: A few days before departure to Prague, the teams received the message that competition grounds will not be available and thus, all disciplines have to be improvised spontaneously. As a result, preparation changed to a few hours on the day of the competition instead of an elaborate training concept, which was followed for several months. Despite this unpredicted challenge, teams mastered it greatly as their disciplined training enabled them to adapt quickly – a realistic test of changing conditions, as they happen in military operations and combat.

International Exchange
MILCOMP is also an ideal opportunity to promote and expand one’s own linguistic and intercultural skills. Despite the competition between the nations, sporting fairness ranks first. All teams, instructors and referees are in continuous exchange. The exchange is particularly intense in international teams as individual reservists of different nations compete. An entire week of English-speaking teamwork, especially in situations of physical and mental stress is a unique learning experience for everyone.

Arrival in Prague
After arriving in Prague, the competition began immediately. No detailed tests of competition grounds and material, but instead only a short inspection and then the immediate start of the competition.
In the late afternoon, all teams, together with the other participants of the CIOR / CIOMR Summer Congress, participated in an opening ceremony high above Prague’s old town.

Building an Obstacle Course…
On the first day of MILCOMP, all teams drove to the former Soviet military training ground “Tankodrom Milovidze”. Throughout the next days, they got to know the area well; obstacle course, hand grenade throwing, shooting and orientation took place here. The obstacle course was created after privatization and did not meet military competition standards. 20 obstacles made of wood, ropes and tires, had hitherto only been able to endure recreational usage. 15 minutes of the CIOR competitor’s test were sufficient to proof that not even half of the obstacles could withstand – they were not designed for that much strength and speed. Renovation and reinforcement began immediately. Three hours before the start of the first team, motor saws and hammer-hammering boomed over the course. With success, the reinforced track survived almost all 26 teams. In the end, Team Netherlands 1 finished just ahead of Team Germany 4, followed by Team Finland 1.

… and Set-Up a Shooting Competition
Day 2 of MILCOMP was all about shooting. First, participants shot the rifle disciplines, followed by the pistol disciplines – at around 37°C in the shade. The shooting discipline resulted in yet another unforeseen challenge: The lack of time to adjust the weapons’ sights as usually. But in the end, they mastered it well and Team International 2 finished just ahead of Team France 4, followed by Team Germany 1. Best marksman became Brian Mdlalose from South Africa.

Water Obstacle Course
The third day of MILCOMP offered a very contrasting program: A full day in the swimming pool. However, neither water obstacle course nor enough uniforms for swimming were available. So once again, the jury improvised: US Navy SEAL Commander Grant State developed an alternative based on SEAL training: 12.5m swimming sprint, releasing a fixed buoy, 12m sprint with the buoy in hand or between the teeth, dive and attach the buoy under water, out of the water, twist, head jump, 12.5m sprint, dive and take a 10kg heavy AK47 dummy under water and 12.5m final sprint with the rifle. Team Great Britain 5 scored 829.73 points and thus became first, followed by Team France 2 and Team Germany 4.

In the evening, all participants enjoyed a special entertainment program: The “National Evening” offering Czech specialties at the Hotel International – best food, folkloric performances and music in the heart of Prague.

Orienteering March
The final highlight of every CIOR competition is the orienteering race. Once again, competitors went to the former Soviet military training ground in Milovidze. The practical test in Combat Casualty Care took place at the beginning of the run: First aid to injured players in bunker systems while being under strict supervision of the referees, doctors and paramedics of CIOMR. Then 14km through the rough terrain: Hot, sultry, thorny and overgrown, accompanied by heavy rain towards the end of the run. Some of the maps were from Soviet Union times and thus, required a lot of imagination: How did the tree structure develop over 30 years? Which paths are new and which are no longer recognizable? Which buildings on the military training ground were probably secret and never displayed on a map? At the finishing line, the competitors faced another exciting surprise: Each team had to master a trench full of obstacles carrying sandbags on the shoulders.

Team Germany 4 was the fastest team to run the orienteering course, but were placed 2nd after Team Great Britain 5, that showed superior performance in throwing hand grenades. Team Germany 3 was placed 3rd.

After the Competition
Back in the residence, the athletes celebrated their own achievements with an athletic evening.

The last day started intellectual: 3 hours of presentation, videos and discussion on Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) with the CIOR Legal Committee and subsequent team-based test.

In the evening, the award ceremony made this year’s MILCOMP results official: Overall, the first place of the MILCOMP went to members of Team Germany 4 who also became the overall winner of the category “Veteran“. The second place was awarded to Team Finland 2, followed by Team Germany 2 placed 3rd, but winning the category “Experienced“. Team International 2 ranked first within the category “International team“. In the category “Novice“, Team Netherlands 1 was able to foster its lead and thus placed first. Team France 3 became the winner of the category “Female team“.

We congratulate all competitors for these excellent results!

Credits
Many thanks to the German MILCOMP team for providing pictures and experience reports from the MILCOMP 2017 in Prague.

Sudden Knock-Out or Eventual Points Loss – How Our Security State Will Lose The Fight

Sudden Knock-Out or Eventual Points Loss - How Our Security State Will Lose The Fight

2017 CIOR SEMINAR – AFTER-ACTION-REPORT

MAY 2017

The 2017 CIOR Seminar, assembling Reserve Officers from some 15 countries, most of them NATO members, took its participants from an opening shock statement through an intellectual exercise to a conceptual training and released them on the last day with the well-deserved satisfaction of having done something useful for the security and future well-being not only of the seminar participants but of the societies represented by Reserve Officers.

“Sudden knock-out or eventual points loss – How our security state will lose the fight” is the shock statement with which the Seminar’s theme was introduced.

Two opening presentations brought back memories, when we, in our respective armed forces, had to find our ways through the challenges of military or disaster relief exercises.

JOEL WINTON confronted us with the reality that successful responses to crises depend more and more on the capacity to bring together stakeholders, who were inexistent in the minds of leaders, particularly military leaders, one generation ago. Those who were inexistent in the minds of leaders, were absent from the hierarchies in charge of responding to crises. But they were never absent from the battlefield or the disaster area. They were simply not asked to contribute to solutions with shared responsibility. The ultimate goal in disaster relief must be that all bodies work together. This was exemplary highlighted by footage of a flock of birds flying like a controlled body. (Cf. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOGCSBh3kmM&app=desktop)

FRED TURNER, then, added to the opening topic the dimension which definitely symbolises and represents modern times, current reality for today’s young generation: the Cyber Space, driven by information technology, invisible on the conventional battlefield, but of decisive relevance for victory or defeat in conflict or disaster. However, there are distinctive current operations and strategic issues for operations in cyber space. Nations are unclear of red lines. National decision makers are reluctant to grant authorities due to their uncertainty about the effects of offensive capabilities and their own national cyber vulnerabilities. Adding to the complexity of cyber space operations, domestic laws create a tangle of interested and responsible parties, and international law is far from settled. All these considerations not only make national cyber operations more complex, but they also add significant friction to cooperation among partners and allies. Yet, due to the global nature of cyber space, cooperation among national organizations and between allies is crucial.

Day Two of the Seminar, provided by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), and its team of speakers and moderator, focussed on the inter-dependence of Development and Security, the challenges to force-projection for the security of NATO-Members and their partners and the effects of on-going climate change on societies causing man-made conflicts and natural disasters and triggering, thus, mass migrations. We have already summarised the presentations and discussions and the seminar’s acknowledgment that governance is at the heart of most of the problems with this regard. Endeavours for good governance and accountability of authorities are the key for the improvement of the state of the world and of mankind. The thoughtful exchange on NATO on Day Two, finally, should serve as a warning that the balance in defence and security matters has already started to shift. The phase, in Europe, of collecting a peace dividend after the demise of the Soviet Union has ended. All political and strategic signs indicate the need to reverse the trend of the last twenty years and to think of how to focus again on strengthening collective defence in Europe.

The two topics which had opened the seminar became, on Day Three, the subjects which speakers and participants elaborated on in workshops. Two more topics were introduced,

a) a case study of a successful turn-around in the corporate world, the case of DHL Express, by JÖRG ANDRIOF,
b) a case study of a failed response to a terrorist attack on civil society, the Norwegian Utöya tragedy, whose perpetrator I do not name, by HANS BRUN.

Two CONCEPTUAL STUDIES and two CASE STUDIES were the object for interactive workshops in the hands of groups and speakers. These are assertions submitted by groups to the plenary.

CONCEPT STUDIES:
In a concept of a successful Emergent Response it is of critical importance to assemble early on all possible stakeholders, symbolically speaking, “welcoming them in one room by a handshake” and, thus, establishing a relationship between actors who have possibly never worked together and were certainly never hierarchically integrated. Relationship is the first basis on which mutual trust has to be built and can be built. Trust only allows to agree on a common purpose for the framework of common action. Trust only is the guarantee for a successful decentralised execution. And decentralised execution is a fundamental requirement, because it is the most efficient and most effective concept for tackling threats to society of an existential nature. Resorting to decentralised execution is a paradigmatic shift from exclusive hierarchy to inclusive thinking and cooperation. It opens the mind to the acknowledgment that one should never underestimate the power of the local people. Reaching out to them would constitute the primary goal in emergent response.

The group in charge of Cyber Risk focused on a) the role of Reservists in building up and bringing to bear Cyber capabilities and b) the new dimension given to Article 5 by Cyber capabilities. Since it is still too early to recognise where the systematic build-up of Cyber capabilities by Defense Ministries and Armed Forces of NATO Members stands, the workshop studied broadly the interest of involving Reservists in this completely new field of military capacity-building. There are benefits, as there are difficulties and impediments, but the provisional assessment indicates that Reservists and in particular Reserve Officers should play a role.

The technological evolution makes also visible how far legal frameworks and legal language can be challenged by new phenomena. While Article 5 and at its core the notion of “attack” seemed to have been, over decades of NATO’s existence, non-controversial, the appearance of a new technology with its specialists and their own minds and language, is creating a formidable potential of confusion and misunderstanding. Information technologists consider themselves as being permanently under Cyber attack. Does this call for Article-5 action? And regardless of “yes” or “no”: what sort of counter-attack would be permissible, what would be beyond levels of competition for intelligence gathering and for strategic influence on others? These questions open completely new aspects of conceptual debates from which we cannot conceive Reserve Officers to abstain in the long run. We believe the participants have identified a field of responsibility for Reserve Officers which goes far beyond technology and deep into political and strategic debates.

CASE STUDIES:
The first one, the DHL Express story, came as an instructive and heart-warming encouragement to take the DHL example of a successful turn-around and a most promising further development of profitable and successful business as inspiration. Warfare is never profitable, but Defense has to be successful in order to fulfil the people’s expectations and legitimate demands. DHL is a most welcome encouragement.

The other case study, on Utöya, sadly was of a different nature. It is a warning how easily professional services in charge of security and protection of the people can fail. Of everything that failed, nothing was allowed to fail. Here again, practical conclusions and advice, such as “train the use of equipment, train the deployment of protection forces, train the leadership of those in charge and in command” can remain without consequences, when authorities and the people at large prove to be unable to act accordingly. Perhaps, this is one more field where the Reserve Officer has a role to play in society. Their legitimacy lies in their profile of “a military with a civilian identity and commitment”, or: “a civilian with a military identity and commitment”.

This takes us back to the initial remark about the shock statement “Sudden knock-out – How our security state will lose the fight”. On purpose, the second part of the Seminar’s theme has been omitted. We would like to recall it here and give it an interpretation:
How we lose the fight … “UNLESS WE INCREASE REDUNDANCY AND IMPROVE SURGE MANAGEMENT!”

Australia invited into CIOR

Australia invited into CIOR

Australia invited into CIOR
2017 Summer Congress in Prague produced a landmark invitation for CIOR in its Partnership for Peace and Outreach dimension. The PfP&O Committee presented the official invitation to the CIOR President for signature, inviting Australia to officially join CIOR. Australia previously participated in Observer status, represented by it’s the reserve association and fully endorsed by its MoD. This result has been obtained after numerous exchanges between CIOR PfP&O committee and the Australian association. If the invitation is positively accepted by the Australian association, we look forward to welcoming our newest CIOR member in 2018.

PfP&O committee way forward after 2017 Summer Congress
Welcoming five new members during the Prague Summer Congress, the PfP & Outreach committee comprises now 10 members dedicated to the vision and mission of the CIOR and the PfP and outreach initiatives directed. With five engagement priority categories established in Prague, the committee developed a new country checklist to focus on continuity of historical engagement action, NATO involvement and CIOR participation for each nation. Besides sending the final invitation for membership to Australia to the CIOR Presidency for signature, we benefited from presentations on the country study of Georgia, as well as discussion about all of our prioritized countries from guest visitors to the committee and a visit/discussion from the Norwegian, Slovenian, Austrian and French VPs. The committee also welcomed a presentation by SPIA president and a EUROMIL summary by PfP&O committee member. Both presentations on the two military associations listed above allowed the committee to assess recommendations to the Council for possible future collaboration and cooperation. The committee also updated its web site verbiage to reflect its new vision and direction (not done since 2010). All committee members accepted assignments on country studies and follow-up engagement tasks regarding the Outreach dimension to present/prepare for action at the next 2018 Mid-Winter Meeting.

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